$40 Million for Federal Sexual Assault Kits Initiative

The Sexual Assault Kits Initiative aims to reduce the nation’s backlog of SAKs and assist jurisdictions in pursuing current and cold case sexual assaults.

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance is allotting $40 million for the Sexual Assault Kits Initiative, a competitive grant program designed to assist jurisdiction officials in processing SAKs, utilizing evidence obtained from SAKs to seek convictions and gathering DNA samples to submit to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Grant recipients must submit a comprehensive approach to submitting previously unsubmitted SAKs, and for cataloging future kits. Funding can also be requested to assist with testing of other evidence relating to SAKs, but all projects must include the three elements required by BJA as outlined above.

Purpose 2: SAKI for small agencies

For recipients in this purpose area, all three of the elements required by BJA are necessary, but as scaled-down versions. For this funding, applicants should:

Create a point of contact to keep all team members up to date on SAKs submissions

Funding in this area will be used to expand DNA databases by locating and collecting samples from convicted offenders who should have samples in CODIS, but have never been tested.

This purpose area is a follow-up to the main goal of submitting all untested SAK, and jurisdictions should only seek funding for the Purpose Area 3 if they have submitted all previously unsubmitted SAKs and have a comprehensive plan in place to prevent a backlog from reoccurring.

Purpose 4: Investigation and prosecution of cold case sexual assaults

This funding area follows the submission of untested kits and the collection of needed DNA samples as the next logical step. Jurisdictions can receive funds in order to hire additional personnel for the specific task of investigating cold case sexual assaults, as well as for training purposes, enhancing victim services, travel costs associated with victim engagement or suspect interviews, and for using advanced DNA practices and search methods.

Get free toolkits that can assist public safety with SAKI in our previous related coverage:

Hot Topics – Modernization & Election 2020

What’s Trending?

Find Grants in the Efficient Gov Network

GovGrantsHelp.com is committed to providing you with a wide range of resources to help you identify, prepare, file and win grants. Our team provides local government leaders with the most comprehensive resource for listings, information and resources as well as custom grant writing and research to meet your needs.

Subscribe

Join over 30,000 local government leaders who receive our stories directly to the inbox each week.

Loading...

Follow Us

About Us

EfficientGov is an independent, unbiased information service providing innovative solutions to fiscal and operational challenges facing cities and towns around the world. Learn how we're helping local governments move forward. About | Advertise